Return To Zork The Interface
Date: 17 June, 1992
By: Eddie Dombrower
*** Preface: Goal of the Interface
The goals of the inteface design for Return To Zork are three-fold:
1) Minimize mouse moving and clicking,
2) minimize "eye travel" during game interactions, and
3) create an Infocom style of gameplay by providing a wide variety of options for object interaction.
By taking advantage of the Object Oriented nature of the MADE engine, these goals can be met for most actions and interactions. Less frequent activities may require more mousing and eye-travel.
I have made up some names for the elements of this interface. They are not set in stone (though each should have an official name soon) and I would like to hear suggestions for names for each element.
**** The Cursor and LEFT BUTTON
Similar to LGOP2, the user may move the cursor anywhere on the screen and its shape at any point in time indicates what will happen when the LEFT BUTTON is clicked. The RIGHT BUTTON has a special use which is detailed below in the section Selecting Objects.
The cursor can point at three types of areas on the screen, objects, navigational directions or neutral places.
When the user is not holding an object and the cursor is over an object, the cursor takes the shape of a diamond and is called the Diamond Cursor. It is called this as the -LEFT-BUTTON-, in this state, will bring up the Diamond Menu (see below).
If the user is holding an object and the cursor is over a screen object, an iconic representation of the user's held object is used for a "pointer" which is called the Object Cursor (see below).
When the cursor is over a neutral location, the Neutral Cursor appear. Clicking the LEFT BUTTON here MAY cause a "system" interface menu to appear with options such as save-; load, quit, settings, etc.
*** I) Navigation
As in LGOP2, when the cursor is not on an object of interest, it will become a direction arrow indicating a possible path of travel. Clicking on the LEFT BUTTON will advance the view to the next location in that direction.
*** II) Messages
Message will be delivered in two ways: audio only speeches by characters in the story and by written text that appears within the context of the screen.
Currently, the user's score can be found on the Hero's Memorial. This may be problematic in that users generally prefer to view their score very frequently as a guide to the path of success.
*** III) PC to Object Interaction
This is the heart and soul of the interface. Whenever the cursor is on top of an object, it changes to a small pulsating diamond. The user may interact with such an object simply by clicking the -LEFT-BUTTON-. If there is one and only one logical action to take with this object (such as knocking on a door with the knocker), this action is immediately taken. However, in the case of most objects, the user is presented with a pop-up menu that is centered around the clicked on object.
This pop-up, iconographic menu is diamond shaped with eight selections surrounding the object in question (see diagram 1 below) . In this way, the user has eight selections within a very short mouse move of where the original click took place. If the user clicks on the object in the center or outside the diamond, the menu disappears with no action taken. Otherwise, the user clicks on one of the action icons to instigate that action with the item in question.
This pop-up menu can be called the Action Diamond menu.
This menuing system allows each object to have a unique set of actions or verbs associated with it. It is even possible for an object to have alternate sets of actions depending on the state of the game or the state of the object. This variety of verbs helps to give some feel of the original Infocom games.
*** IV) Object Selection
While navigating through scenes it often becomes necessary to select an object from the user's inventory. This is accomplished by pressing the -RIGHT-BUTTON- at any time. The RIGHT BUTTON is reserved for this use only.
Once the -RIGHT-BUTTON- has been pressed, a pop-up, iconographic menu is displayed with all of the inventory items available. Similar to the Action Diamond, this menu is rectangular and can contain more than nine icons (see diagram 2 below) . The icon directly under the cursor is a diamond. Use the RIGHT BUTTON to select items to hold from this menu. Selecting the diamond-means-that the user does not wish to carry an object at this time (possibly allowing faster movement) returning the user to the game with the Diamond Cursor. Selecting any of the object icons makes the menu disappear and the cursor, when not a navigation arrow or neutral cursor, reflects the item now in the user's hands. This is called the Object Cursor. A larger view of this item might be displayed in another section of the screen (such as an orb).
This menu can be called the Inventory Block.
*** V) Object to Object Interaction
When the user is holding an object click with the -RIGHT BUTTON- to bring up the Inventory Block. Instead of using the -RIGHT BUTTON- to select which object to use, click the -LEFT-BUTTON- to pop up the Action Diamond Menu. This Action Diamond Menu represents all of the verbs that describe possible interactions of the object in hand and the object in the inventory. If the user is not holding an object, then the inventory items will be interacting with the PC. There will usually only be six options as the user may want to pick-up-and-hold the pointed-to object or pick-up-and-pocket it. At this level (two menus deep), the RIGHT BUTTON has no further use.
*** VI) Object to Inventory Object Interaction
Use the -RIGHT-BUTTON- to bring up the Inventory Block. One of the icons on the block will be a Mortar and Pestle (signifying mix). Clicking on this icon with the -LEFT-BUTTON- will pop up a pie-shaped menu of eight inventory objects. This is the pie Mix Menu. Click on one of the items with the LEFT BUTTON to make an interaction between the held item (if an Object-Cursor) or the PC (if the Diamond Cursor). Either the obvious interaction will occur or an Action Diamond Menu will appear. If the Action Diamond Menu appears, there will be three menus stacked on top of one another allowing the user to stay between any two levels very simply.
***VII) Conversations
Using the talking heads concept mixed with the interactive icons from LGOP2 this is a simple -LEFT-BUTTON- only interface. Select and icon to direct the conversation and listen.